When I grew up in Sweden the winters were long and dark, very cold, with lots and lots of snow. I loved them then, and I love these kinds of winters now. Over the years we have become accustomed to warmer and shorter winters in Canada, so when a doozy hits us it seems especially harsh. The laments of the people seem endless, though not from me.
The psalmist is writing to a people who are lamenting as well, perhaps not about a doozy of a winter, but about life in a city that needs to be restored after the exile. The psalmist assures them that God stands with God’s people and helps them through times of struggle and brings them to new life.
The psalmist reminds us that it is the Word that makes us people of God. And as people of God we find ourselves looking to this Word to help us through our times of struggle each day. In the Word there is an assurance that God will hear us, stand with us, and respond to our prayers. Whether God likes snow or not, we live in thanksgiving.
Lord God, we give thanks for the many ways you hear and respond to our prayers and laments, not the least through the gift of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — JKU